Not to leave its $2,699 A9 wireless speaker stuck with solid colors for the fall and winter, B&O Play's added some limited editions inspired by the natural color palette of Scandinavia. Dubbed the Nordic Sky editions, the three variants previewed for Copenhagen Fashion Week represent dawn, twilight and dusk. The pastel gradient grilles aim to keep the summer night's visual influence alive through the colder seasons, as B&O explains it. The units still feature the same 480-watt (x5) 2.1 stereo output, with DLNA and AirPlay to keep the music flowing. The Nordic Sky editions will retail for the same $2,699 price as the standard versions, while current A9 owners can also purchase each color kit (three wooden legs and a grille cloth) for $259 a pop. There's no exact arrival date yet, but B&O says to expect them on its shelves in September. No doubt these pieces scream opulence, but they're a visual treat in person. Full press release after the break. Gallery-195483

Last time we checked in with the 3D printing upstarts over at Formlabs, their Kickstarter was doing splendidly, having over doubled its initial funding target. Well, less than a month later, and with the money still rolling in, the current total stands (at time of writing) at a somewhat impressive $2,182,031 -- over 20 times its initial goal. When we heard that the team behind it, along with some all important working printers, rolled into town, how could we resist taking the opportunity to catch up? The venue? London's 3D print show. Where, amongst all the printed bracelets and figurines, the FORM 1 stood out like a sore thumb. A wonderfully orange, and geometrically formed one at that. We elbowed our way through the permanent four-deep crowd at their booth to take a closer look, and as the show is running for another two days, you can too if you're in town. Or you could just click past the break for more. Gallery-168787

Now that Smart's second-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV has gotten its year of time on the roads, the company is ready to announce its successor. For 2013, the car has received some mild tweaks to its design, but the real news is about what's hiding inside this rear-wheel driven EV. For the first time, you'll have to option of owning one outright, rather than being limited to a four-year lease at $599 per month. It's thanks in part to an improved battery, which is now rated for an average lifespan of 10 years. The car has also received a massive power upgrade to 47 horsepower (up from 27 previously), along with an extra boost if you floor the pedal -- this courtesy of a beefier engine and drive-train that gives it about 50-percent more power. Put it this way, this EV will get you from 0-60 in about 11.5 seconds, with top speed of 78MPH. Sadly, there's no concrete word on what kind of range to expect, but it should be well more than the 87 miles of its predecessor. Beyond that, Smart's added in GSM connectivity, allowing you the abilities to pre-start the car and keep track of its vitals remotely, among other features.

A quick drive around Brooklyn also confirmed how peppy and smooth the car was in use, however, not exactly on-par with our experience in Audi's A3 e-tron -- but it is considerably less. As our friends at Autoblog detail, the base model coupe is set to sell for a $25,000 MSRP plus fees, along with your choice of two chargers, which can cost up to $2,200 with installation. Here's the good news, the car itself actually works out to just $17,500 thanks to a federal tax credit. All in all, this currently makes the cheapest full-on EV you'll be able to get your mitts on. If you'd prefer to spice it up a bit, Smart will also offer a spruced up cabriolet variant for an extra $3K. Check out our chat with Smart about the car and the press release after the break for all the details. Gallery-167424

Remember the Sony HMZ-T2 3D head-mounted display that we tried on back at IFA? Well, it's being prominently featured here at TGS, too. Tucked away at a smaller, much more modest booth around the corner, however, is something a smidge more interesting. Kept behind glass and a safe distance away from our grubby mitts and sweaty foreheads resides the "Prototype-SR" (Substitutional Reality) that was outed on YouTube last week. Essentially, the unit appears to be the HMZ-T2 with a front-mounted camera for head tracking and camera functionality -- the sort of thing that will provide what's being called a 360-degree immersive entertainment experience. From what we can tell from the booth monitors, the unit displays 3D video overlaid in real space for the person wearing the device. Details are scarce and extremely limited demos were available in an apparent lottery (no luck here). You can rest assured that if we're able to snag one, though, we'll be sure to offer up some impressions. For now, take a look at the camera-wielding set of hi-tech goggles in the gallery below and the aforementioned video awaits just past the break. Gallery-166093

After the new PS3s had their moment in the spotlight at Sony's pre-TGS press event, the company also announced color variants for the PS Vita. We weren't able to fondle the pair just yet, the key difference is quite obvious: "cosmic red" and "sapphire blue" exteriors. Both of the new models share the same glossy coating as the original model, so they're sure to attract your fingerprints. These two round out the paint schemes at four when you include the "crystal white" version that's already been unveiled. While we snag a spot in line for a hands-on at the Sony booth, take a peek at the gallery that follows for a quick look at the duo.Gallery-165877

Just after their pre-TGS announcement, we were able to snag a closer look at Sony's new slimmed-down PlayStation 3 consoles. While we weren't able to put our grubby mitts on the pair, we did get a peek at some of the exterior differences. Aside from the obvious color variations (at least in the white model that's definitely headed for Japan), the first change that immediately jumps out is the absence of the visible disc slot on the console's front. We surmise that discs now load via a sliding tray mechanism of some sort -- a feature that we'll definitely take a closer look at when we grab a full hands-on on the show floor. There's also a grooved design up top, which makes a departure from the smooth casing from the previous models. From the display we took a gander at, an attachable base is included to secure the unit when used vertically. Want a closer look for yourself? Dive in to the gallery below to do just that. Gallery-165865

Last week, the tech world focused on Berlin for IFA 2012. Those few days were jam packed full of 84-inch 4K televisions, super-sized smartphones and both Windows 8 slates and hybrids. In the latest edition of our weekly tablet mag, we take a look at the best of what IFA had to offer this time around -- including all of the devices that made a lasting impression. In case you've been napping, the last few days have been all about phones. In "Hands-on" we take a closer look at what Nokia and Motorola revealed in recent press events. On the review front, we put the Canon EOS-1D X and the Sony Reader PRS-T2 through the wringer and offer our detailed analysis. "Eyes-on" catches a glimpse of the Jambox Remix, "Weekly Stat" compiles smartphone screen sizes, "IRL" has even more of our daily gadgetry and meme maker Mr. Weebl admits in the Q&A that all he really wants is a keytar. This week's issue is bursting at its e-seams, so grab it via your download method of choice to get the weekend reading started.

In 2004, Curt Schilling and a badly injured ankle led the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years. That's right, he was the ace that helped break the "Curse of the Bambino" from the mound. Fast forward to 2010, where Schilling had hung up his cleats and lobbied for Rhode Island officials to give his video game outfit, 38 Studios, a $75 million loan guarantee. Just two years later, the studio filed for Chapter 7, leaving the state's taxpayers holding the tab. In this week's issue, Jason Hidalgo takes a look at what went down in New England and examines the risk of public funds being used to support private tech companies. We had folks on the ground in Berlin to monitor the happenings at IFA this week and a few notable gadgets from said event occupy "Hands-on". As far as full-on reviews go, we put the Archos 101 XS, Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and Acer Aspire V5 through their paces. "Forum" is chock full of even more reads, eSports commentator John Sargent stops by for the Q&A, "Time Machines" kicks it old school and "Eyes-on" takes on 35mm, retro-style photography. The week is over, so hit the link that you fancy the most to grab your copy and let the relaxation begin.

Well, friends, back to school season is in full swing. For some, it's a time of great sorrow, but for others it's a glorious time that usually means some new tech is on the way to combat the year's upcoming workload. Lucky for all of those in the latter group, the folks here at Engadget HQ have done our homework and compiled our picks in 14 different categories for your buying reference. In this issue of our weekly, we give you the full rundown on what to look for when you're in the midst of your back to school gadget shopping. As you might expect, some of the usual suspects are here as well for your weekend reading exploits -- including a closer look at the Wacom Cintiq 24HD touch, hands-on with a few of Gamescom's gadgets and a list of "Rec Reading" for the end of this seven-day period. Don't wait any longer, though. Hit your link of choice below to grab an end of summer guide of your very own.

The unfinished Galaxy Note 10.1 was cast into Android slate prime time at Mobile World Congress a few months back. Now the production model as arrived and we put it through its paces in this week's edition of our e-publication. If tablets aren't really your thing, we also give the Vizio Thin + Light and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon the in-depth review treatment this time around. "Eyes-on" takes a closer look at the B&O Beolit 12, "Rec Reading" offers a collection of Rudy Rucker's short stories, "Weekly Stat" catches a nice breeze and Red Hat's Chris Moody gives the Q&A a piece of his mind. Grab your S Pen (or other stylus of choice) and tap on the appropriate download link below to sort out your weekend reading.

Almost every day it seems like folks are finding a way to add to the number of practical uses for 3D printers. What was once a hobbyist's dream gadget is now being used to produce faux arteries for lab-grown tissue and Magic Arms. As the pricey peripherals work their way into the mainstream, are they soon to be found in most homes? That's the quandary we tackle in this edition of our weekly tablet mag as Brian Heater spends some quality time with the MakerBot Replicator at Engadget's NYC Headquarters. Not really into $2,000 output devices? No sweat. The Meizu MX 4-core, Toshiba U845W and Parrot Zik headphones all get the proper review treatment. "Hands-on" visits SIGGRAPH, "Weekly Stat" examines the shortcomings of our handsets, "Reaction Time" discusses THQ, "IRL" packs in three more of our gadget confessions and GameStop CEO Paul Raines admits his affinity for Jelly Bean in this week's Q&A. Go on and usher in the weekend by hitting up your download link of choice down below.

In case you hadn't heard, Apple released the latest version of OS X recently. As expected, the newfangled Mountain Lion operating system touts a number of added features -- some of which bring it even closer in sync with iOS. In this week's issue of our e-magazine, the beast steps out into the spotlight and we offer a word or two (a few thousand, to be exact) in our full-length review of the software. If the work of the folks in Cupertino isn't exactly your cup of tea, we also give the new Outlook.com and T-Mo's version of the Galaxy Note a close examination with the Engadget fine-toothed comb. HTC's Eric Lin takes a shot at the Q&A, "This is the Modem World" discusses gadget smells, "Reaction Time" chats about blockbuster releases and "IRL" exposes more of the devices that we use on the regular. Trust us, you'll want to get comfortable this time around. Kick your shoes off and head to your download link of choice to get started.

Here at Engadget HQ, we're looking to take a bit of a breather after a long week of analyzing last quarter's numbers. With that said, a road trip or weekend respite of some sort is definitely in order and this week's edition of our e-magazine offers some insight into getting just a bit more out of that next excursion. Front and center, the globe trotting Darren Murph offers some tips for geotagging your shots from that next Blue Ridge Parkway trek and also takes Nokia Drive's offline navigation for a spin on a Lumia 900. The super thin $1,400 Acer Aspire S5 and the sub-$100 Motorola Atrix HD each get in-depth reviews while "Hands-On" is overrun by some new shooters -- including the much anticipated Canon EOS M. Fable: The Journey designer Ted Timmins takes his turn with Q&A, "Switched On" takes a look an Ouya, "Reaction Time" chats about pre-release secrecy and "IRL" has our personal gadget arsenals. That said, we're taking some Friday solace in one of the download links below, where you can grab a brand spankin' new issue of your very own.

While Yahoo was busy hiring its new CEO away from Google, we were hard at work crankin' out this week's edition of Distro to help feed your slate reading desires. Let's just say that if a CNC gantry router that implements a Wiimote piques your interest, you're in for quite the treat this time around. We head north to Massachusetts to visit Artisan's Asylum for a glimpse of the craftiness and general hackery that takes place in an old office supply warehouse. We throw down the review gauntlet for the Nintendo 3DS XL, LG Optimus 4X HD and Sony VAIO T13 and offer some detailed reactions on said trio. AllThingsD's Mike Isaac has a go at the Q&A, "Switched On" discusses the next Office, Steam's annual sale occupies "Reaction Time" and "IRL" returns. As you might expect, all of the requisite download links await your clicks below.

Update: Make sure you're downloading the newest versions of the Distro app when they're made available. This will allow you to keep tabs on all of the content and functionality packed into each issue.

After a brief respite to recover from last week's hot dog and homemade ice cream comas, our tablet mag is back in action. Getting our e-publication affairs back in order, Brian Heater sits down with Levar Burton to chat about Reading Rainbow, a new iPad app and Star Trek gadgetry. Hitting on another bit of childhood nostalgia for many of us at Engadget HQ, Alexis Santos drops by NASA's Launch Control Center (LCC) for a tour after more than three decades of operation. On the review front, we roll up our sleeves and put both the Nexus Q and the Samsung Series 9 through the wringer while offering some in-depth impressions. "Eyes-On" takes a peek at the Google booty offered to I/O attendees, "Hands-On" our latest gadget outings and Gaikai's founder admits his reliance on the PowerPoint gods in the Q&A. Don't take our word for it. Snag your copy of the e-magazine with a few clicks on the download links that follow.

It's that time of the year when folks in the US of A tend to get a tad bit patriotic. Pretty soon, those of us in the States will be all about grilling and putting back a few hot dogs and / or hamburgers before rushing off to catch some fireworks. We're looking to keep the spirit alive in our weekly, too. This time around, we offer up a Made in the USA edition with editorials that tackle Nevada's solar-geothermal hybrid power plant and just how much coin it takes to offer internet in American Samoa -- along with a few more stops in between. The Nexus 7 and Nexus Q were revealed at Google I/O and we offer some initial thoughts on the pair of gadgets from the folks in Mountain View. Find yourself jonesin' for a closer look at that fancy Tesla S? You're in luck. You'll find some detail shots of the new $50,000 EV in "Eyes-On" this week. So what are you waiting for? There's a monster truck on the cover for crying out loud! Dive right in to the latest issue via your download method of choice.

Now that it's officially summertime, you're going to need some options for that annual reading list. As you plot your escape from the season's rising temps, allow us to offer a cool copy of our weekly for your browsing pursuits. Since it first broke cover at WWDC, we've had time to put the MacBook Pro with Retina display through its paces and our detailed findings snagged top billing this week. Also on the review front, we take a long look at both the latest MacBook Air and the ultra-convertible ASUS Padfone. In this week's feature, our own Donald Melanson takes a look back at the futuristic tech of Minority Report for the film's 10th anniversary. As you might've heard, Microsoft hosted two events of its own this week. Being the tech-minded folk that we are, we offer thoughts from our editors on the Surface tablets and the 'sneak peek' at Windows Phone 8 from a few days back. Don't worry, we'll give you a closer look and a few impressions of the aforementioned slates as well in "Hands-on." Grab those flip-flops and snag yourself a spot in the shade, because this week's e-magazine is a short download away.

Still recovering from last week's barrage of fitness gadgetry? Yeah, we are too. This week, we take a less active approach to the latest issue of our tablet mag. Motorola's influence on the tech that we all know and love extends far beyond flip phones and pagers. Our own Brian Heater takes a look at the history of the company in the issue's editorial feature, offering a glimpse into the timeline that led up to Google's $12.5 billion purchase. The folks in Cupertino had an event a few days back that offered a handful of juicy tidbits -- to say the least. If you fear you might've missed something or just need a quick refresher, we run down WWDC's 10 most important talking points. Speaking of which, the "Hands-on" section this week is devoted entirely to the next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina display -- in case you've been napping and haven't had a look for yourself. In terms of device reviews, we offer our thoughts on both the Sony Xperia P and Xperia U for your weekend read. If you're still reminiscing about E3, "Reaction Time" looks at Ubisoft's new title in a week that chock-full of sequels while "Eyes-on" takes a gander at the Nest thermostat and "Time Machines" visits the roots of the TI-30X IIS. The download links are just a click away, so hit yours to get started.

Last month, Dell announced that its Alienware gaming laptops would be outfitted with Qualcomm Atheros' Killer Wireless-N 1202 WiFi cards. Aside from sporting low-latency capabilities, the add-on also sports some Bluetooth connectivity. Here at E3, we were able to spend some time with the tech to see just how the component and its accompanying software prioritizes your bandwidth and keeps your Call of Duty multi-player sessions in the #1 slot. The Killer application allows you to set different priority levels for anything that would claim a chunk of your internet connection. For example, if you keep your title of choice in the top spot, the tech will only download files or access websites whenever World of Warcraft isn't trying to send hi-pri info across the interwebs. By default the rankings are as follows from high to low: games, real-time chat (Skype), buffer-tolerant programs (Netflix and iTunes) and file transfer or low-level systems utilities. Until the end of June, you'll only be able to snag the tech in Dell's gaming laptops. We laid our peepers on the interface at the Alienware booth, so hit up the gallery below to take a look at what you can expect with the UI. Gallery-157626

What's that? You've already worked your requisite 40 hours this week and you're ready to throw in the towel? Well, we've got something far more enjoyable for your Friday afternoon relaxation. Hot off of the e-presses, this week's issue of Distro is packed with a week's worth of leisurely readings. The focus this time around is on Thomas Dolby and our own Brian Heater details the '80s pop star's journey back to the stage with TED, cellphones and his own virtual world. As far as reviews go, we spend some quality time getting to know the latest Chrome OS arsenal from Google, ASUS Zenbook Prime UX21A and the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III. Our hands-on section is still a young Padawan, but this week we breakdown Nokia 808 PureView sample shots and the recently outted Facebook Camera app. Do you have gaming on the brain with E3 less than a week away? If so, Reaction Time should hold you over with new releases and a discussion of the aforementioned gaming expo. Stat takes a look at copyright and piracy claims, we go eyes-on with the Lumia lineage, BAROBO's Graham Ryland stops by for the Q&A, Switched On tackles Cisco, IRL let's you get cozy with our gear and Rehashed looks back at the week that was in 140 characters or less. The days are winding down until it'll be too hot to enjoy that hammock, so don't waste any more time. Hit your weekly download link and snag a copy of our tablet mag.

Even if you weren't waiting for it, it's finally here. Next time you grab your iPad and want to check Twitter sans official app, you'll be able to do it in tablet-optimized form. The San Franciscan company just outed a delectable HTML5 redux of its desktop equivalent, carrying over the animated two-pane design of its forebearer, while replicating niceties like pull-to-refresh and scroll bouncing from its native iOS app. Unfortunately, we couldn't get to the goodness from our Galaxy Tab 10.1, but given the open nature of the web, we're hoping an Android compatible version isn't far off. And if you're not seeing the refresh on your iPad yet, sit tight; the company's rolling out access throughout the week. In the meantime, feel free to ogle at the bevy of snaps we grabbed below.
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Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:32:00 -040021|20008423http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/18/udc-shows-off-serpentine-oled-lamp-concept-at-sid-2011-video/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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We've seen flexible OLEDs and OLED lighting solutions before, but none of them conjured our sweaty club-hopping fantasies quite like this concept from Universal Display Corporation (UDC). The flexible OLED makers weren't particularly forthcoming on the specs for this color-changing apparatus, but we can tell you that it uncoils and recoils with the help of a motion sensor, and requires very little energy to power -- note that tiny wire supplying 100 percent of the required juice. UDC used this flashy lamp specifically to show off its own brand of low-energy flexible white OLED lighting, which means you won't see it popping up in B.E.D. anytime soon (if ever), but it certainly has us thinking of new ways to light up our nights. Gratuitous amounts of bouncing and beaming can be found after the break.
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The latest and greatest (and largest) 3D plasmas from Panasonic are finally shipping, including the flagship, THX-certified Viera VT30 sets with their single sheet of glass panels and Infinite Black Pro2 filters. We first caught a glimpse of these bad boys back at CES and we've been impatiently waiting for a chance to blast our retinas with their PDP goodness in all three dimensions. The company was nice enough to invite us over recently to have a little TV powwow that featured an uncomfortable amount of Avatar on Bluray. Keep reading after the break for all the not-so-gory details. Gallery-123262

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Tue, 10 May 2011 18:34:00 -040021|19936790http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/lg-st600-smart-tv-upgrader-new-magic-remote-eyes-on-at-ces/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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We took a closer look at the new LG ST600 Smart TV Upgrader after LG's CES 2011 press event, and while we weren't allowed to handle it for as long as we would've liked, we did manage to snag a few brief impressions. The box is designed to provide consumers with older TVs access to LG's latest SmartTV functions using just an HDMI link. Size-wise, the set-top box seems close to the Apple TV, although it's clearly chunkier. In terms of connections, we spotted an HDMI and Ethernet port in the rear, with at least one USB port on the side. As the image shows, LG's upgraded Magic Remote was also present -- though it's not compatible with this box due to a lack of integrated motion controls. The new wand will ship with LG's latest Smart TVs, and has a more rounded form factor than its predecessor. The enter button was also swapped out for a more prominent Home button. LG is really touting the device as a simpler way to navigate through an ever-growing list of TV extras, but we can't help thinking it's just a streamlined Wiimote.
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Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:24:00 -050021|19788277http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/hitachis-mems-display-big-aspirations-in-a-little-prototype/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/hitachis-mems-display-big-aspirations-in-a-little-prototype/http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/hitachis-mems-display-big-aspirations-in-a-little-prototype/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
We know the following to be true: microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology can foster some veryinventivegadgetry, and it's a wonderful four-turn, 45-point Scrabble word (barring special tiles and presuming an abnormally-large board). That said, the MEMS display sector is still quite small and still a ways from reaching the market (hello, Mirasol), which makes every appearance a bit more interesting than the last. Hitachi's little showing caused quite the crowds at its CEATEC booth, with a pair of 2.5-inch QVGA prototypes built using Pixtronix's PerfectLight MEMS display tech within a LCD infrastructure. The color came through on the first screen, and animations was fairly fluid (with the exception of one or two brief moments of lag). The other display on hand was monochrome with a backlight that flickered on and off as a generic desk lamp shone directly onto it. It was still legible enough without the backlight, but it definitely took some straining.

Pixtronix is promising 24-bit color depth, 170-degree viewing angles, and a 75 percent power reduction over equivalent LCD displays. As for Hitachi, the company reportedly plans to release displays in the 10-inch and under market by early 2012 -- so yes, in case you were wondering, these'll be back for next CEATEC, too. Enjoy the pictures below, so you have something to look back on. Gallery-104599